Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Corporation

Olympus Medical Systems Corporation

Sakae Takehana

Katsuichi Imaizumi

Isami Hirao

Nobuyuki Doguchi

Takeshi Ozawa

Yasuhiro Ueda

Hiroki Hibino

Yoshinao Oaki

Mamoru Kaneko

Hitoshi Ueno

Kazunari Nakamura

Koichi Yoshimitsu

Takashi Tsukaya

Masaaki Hayashi

Yoshinori Takahashi

Hideyuki Adachi

Naoki Uchiyama

Shunya Akimoto

Yoshikatsu Nagayama

Yuichi Morizane

Masaki Terakubo

Hiroshi Ibe

Syuichi Takayama

Takefumi Uesugi

Naomi Sekino

Yoshisada Aoki

Yutaka Takahashi

Akira Suzuki

Hitoshi Mizuno

Akihiro Horii

Akira Taniguchi

Kenji Yoshino

Tomohisa Sakurai

Kazuhiro Gono

Tetsumaru Kubota

Masakazu Gotanda

Masahito Goto

Koji Koda

Toshiyuki Takara

Kouichiro Ishihara

Nobuhiko Watanabe

Mutsumi Yoshikawa

Tadashi Hirata

Akio Nakada

Toshimasa Kawai

Tatsuya Yamaguchi

Katsunori Sakiyama

Makoto Tomioka

Seiji Kuramoto

Masahiro Kawauchi

Yoshihito Shimizu

Jun Hiroya

Masahiro Ohno

Yasuo Komatsu

Eiji Yasuda

Yasukazu Kogen

Takayuki Hanawa

Koichi Umeyama

Hiroyuki Sangu

Takeaki Nakamura

Hironobu Takizawa

Kazuhiro Takahashi

Kazuhiro Yoshida

Shinji Yamashita

Kenji Yamazaki

Katsuyuki Saito

Hiroki Moriyama

Akinobu Uchikubo

Masato Toda

Takehiro Nakagawa

Shinji Hatta

Masao Uehara

Tomoki Funakubo

Keiichi Arai

Yasuo Hirata

Toshiaki Noguchi

Atsushi Miyazaki

Shuichi Takayama

Koichi Matsui

Yuichi Yamada

Akihiro Taguchi

Akira Murata

Fumiyuki Okawa

Raifu Matsui

Shunji Takei

Atsushi Okawa

Eiichi Fuse

Hirofumi Miyanaga

Yutaka Tatsuno

Nobuyuki Sakamoto

Koji Fujio

Naruto Shinkai

Masami Hamada

Nobuhiko Washizuka

Yoshihiro Kosaka

Yoshinobu Soeda

Katsuya Suzuki

Kazuo Sonobe

Masaya Yoshihara

Ichiro Takahashi

A fluorescent imaging device includes an irradiation section that irradiates an object to be examined with excitation light and reference light, an image pickup section that picks up a fluorescence image based on the excitation light and a reflected light image based on the reference light, a comparison section that compares relative intensity between the fluorescent image generated from the fluorescence image and the reflected light image generated from the reflected light image, and a selection section that selectively outputs one of the reflected light image and the fluorescent image based on the comparison result.

Fluorescent imaging device and fluorescent image acquiring method

The electronic endoscope device in accordance with the present invention comprises an image pick-up unit capable of acquiring an object image with respect to illumination light employed for illuminating the object for each prescribed wavelength band, an exposure period setting circuit for setting the exposure period of the image pick-up unit corresponding to the each wavelength band, an amplification circuit for amplifying picked-up image signals of the object image obtained with the image pick-up unit corresponding to the each wavelength band, and a control circuit for controlling the amplification circuit such that the picked-up image signals corresponded to the each wavelength band of the object image that are acquired with the image pick-up unit at the exposure period set corresponding to the each wavelength band set by the exposure period setting circuit are amplified at amplification factors computed corresponding to the exposure period that is set corresponding to the each wavelength band.

Electronic endoscopic device having a color balance adjustment system

An endoscope system includes a light source for supplying three narrow wavelength bands including one wavelength band for exciting fluorescence, an excitation light cut filter for transmitting light having a wavelength greater than either 470 nm or 490 nm, and an image capturing unit for capturing the light transmitted by the excitation light cut filter and outputting three wavelength band signals corresponding to the three narrow wavelength bands of the light source. Also included are first, second and third frame memories for inputting and storing the three wavelength band signals, respectively, and first, second and third output ends for outputting first, second and third color signals, respectively, to a monitor for displaying an image. An image processor receives signals from the first, second and third frame memories respectively and selects among the first output end, the second output end and third output end for outputting the received signals to the monitor.

Endoscope system using normal light and fluorescence

A CCD driver circuit adjusts and supplies pulse-type signals to a CCD in order to adjust the sensitivity of the CCD. A metering circuit meters a signal output from the CCD. A sensitivity control circuit controls the sensitivity of the CCD by controlling the sensitivity multiplication factor of the CCD based on a metering result by the metering circuit. A metering correcting circuit corrects a metering result from the metering circuit based on a charge multiplication factor from the sensitivity control circuit. An aperture control circuit controls an aperture based on a metering signal corrected by the metering correcting circuit. Thus, an image of an object of which strength of light largely varies can be obtained as an image under a proper dimming state.

Endoscope apparatus for obtaining properly dimmed observation images

Illumination light supplied from an illumination light supplying unit that can selectively supply a plurality kinds of illumination lights whose wavelengths fall in different regions is supplied to an object. A signal picking up an image of the object is received by a programmable circuit unit that is programmably constructed based on circuit data, and then subjected to signal processing. A circuit data holding unit holds a plurality kinds of circuit data to be used for the programmable circuit unit. A control unit selects circuit data, which is used for the programmable circuit unit, from among all the circuit data items held in the circuit data holding unit corresponding to illumination light supplied from the illumination light supplying unit.

Programmable image processing unit which displays a tentative image during programming

An image pick-up apparatus includes an image pick-up device which picks-up an image of a subject and outputs an image signal, a first-amplitude changing portion which varies an amplitude of the image signal outputted form the image pick-up device, a second-amplitude changing portion which varies the amplitude of the image signal to be outputted, a comparing portion which compares the amplitude of the image signal with a value of a target amplitude, and a control portion which controls the first- and second-amplitude changing portions based on the comparison result of the comparing portion and changes the amplitude of the image signal so that it is approximate to the target amplitude so that an observed image of the subject displayed on display means has a desired brightness.

Image pick-up apparatus and endoscope apparatus

An endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope that has a solid-state image-pickup device in which charges are accumulated in order to pick up an object image. The endoscope apparatus further comprises a memory in which a plurality of pieces of information on the accumulation period during which charges are accumulated in the solid-state image-pickup device is stored, and a drive unit that controls the accumulation period, during which charges are accumulated in the solid-state image-pickup device, on the basis of the pieces of information on the accumulation period stored in the memory. The endoscope further includes an optical member whose surface is shaped rotationally asymmetric. Correction information stored in a memory and associated with the optical element is used to correct an output signal of the solid-state image-pickup device.

Endoscope apparatus with solid-state pick-up

An endoscopehas a CCDincorporated in the distal part of an insertion unitthereof. The sensitivity of the CCDcan be varied by applying a plurality of pulsating driving signals so as to change an electron multiplication rate. The endoscopeis connected to a processorso that it can be disconnected freely. Information representing a type of endoscope stored in advance in a ROMis transmitted to a controllerincorporated in the processor. The control meansuses a CCD sensitivity control meansto control the sensitivity of the CCDaccording to the type of connected endoscope. Consequently, a view image of proper brightness can be produced irrespective of the type of endoscope

Endoscope system with irradiated light switching feature

An endoscope system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes an endoscope with a monochrome image pickup device for capturing reflected light and fluorescence from the body cavity, an excitation light cut filter which is installed in front of the image pickup device for shielding excitation light, and an endoscope ID which includes information on the type of the endoscope. A light source unit includes a first switching filter that irradiates light including excitation light for a fluorescent image mode and a filter for generating continuous light for a normal-light image mode. The filters switch based between the fluorescent image mode and the normal-light image mode. A second switching filter with a limiting filter that limits certain wavelengths of excitation light of the first switching filter is provided. The limiting filters are switched according to the endoscope ID or observation state in the fluorescence mode. The excitation light cut filter shields excitation light generated by the first and second filters.

An image processing device for an endoscope, wherein a wavelength band filter for shielding at least a part of the blue wavelength band is disposed in front of an image pickup element built into the endoscope, for image processing the signal output by said image pickup element includes means for generating color image signals whilst switching between a normal-light image mode using white light and a fluorescence image mode including fluorescence information and adjusting means for adjusting the gain of a prescribed color signal of said color image signals.

Endoscope device, endoscope and image processing device for endoscope

In the light source unitA, a switching filter sectionwhich can switch the RGB filter for normal-light observation and a filter for fluorescent observation on the optical path, is installed in front of the lamp, where if the fluorescent image mode is selected, the excitation light in a part of the blue wavelength band is supplied to the electronic endoscopeA, and the excitation light reflected by the subject side is shielded by the excitation light cut filterin front of the CCDso as to obtain the fluorescent image, and also the signal of the fluorescent image and the signals of the two reflected light images which are set in a predetermined wavelength band are passed through the image processing circuit, where a matrix circuit for appropriately allocating the color signals of the R, G and B channels is installed, and as a result, the images can be displayed on the monitorin pseudo-colors in hues which allow easy identification of a normal tissue and a pathologically affected tissue.

In a light source unit, a switchable filter section in which an RGB filter and a fluorescence observation filter can be shifted into the light path is disposed in front of a lamp. When fluorescence image mode is selected, excitation light in a part of the wavelength band of the blue wavelength band is supplied to an electronic endoscope, and the excitation light which is reflected by the subject is shielded by an excitation light shielding filter situated in front of a CCD, whereby a fluorescence image can be obtained. On the other hand, if normal-light image mode is selected, then R, G, B light is supplied sequentially, and even under illumination of B light, the color component image in the wavelength bands which are not shielded by the excitation light shielding filter are captured, thereby yielding a normal-light image also, and hence making it possible to capture both a fluorescence image and a normal-light image by means of a single image pickup element.

Endoscope with a single image pick-up element for fluorescent and normal-light images

An endoscopehas a CCDincorporated in the distal part of an insertion unitthereof. The sensitivity of the CCDcan be varied by applying a plurality of pulsating driving signals so as to change an electron multiplication rate. The endoscopeis connected to a processorso that it can be disconnected freely. Information representing a type of endoscope stored in advance in a ROMis transmitted to a controllerincorporated in the processor. The control meansuses a CCD sensitivity control meansto control the sensitivity of the CCDaccording to the type of connected endoscope. In addition, an automatic gain control circuit supplementarily amplifies a signal output from the CCDso that the level of the signal becomes a predetermined level. Consequently, a view image of proper brightness can be produced irrespective of the type of endoscope

Endoscope system with charge multiplying imaging device and automatic gain control

An imaging system for use with an endoscope, including a light source which emits white light and excitation light which will produce a fluorescence response by an object under inspection, an imaging camera including separate paths for processing images produced by white light and excitation light, a selection device that causes the imaging device to operate in a white light mode or an excitation light mode, and a protective device that prevents damage to high-sensitivity imaging components from exposure to excessive light input. Fluorescent image data are separated into at least red and green color bands which are separately processed to produced a video display in which normal tissue is displayed in predetermined specific color, and abnormal tissue in one or more distinctly different colors. In one embodiment, an image color interpretation guide is provided in the form of multiple color bars which are superimposed on a single video display device with the image display. of different kinds. In another embodiment, color control is provided by adjusting the amplification of the imaging components for each of the color bands while viewing tissue known to be normal using a recursive algorithm until the ratio of the maximum values of the color separation signals fall within a predetermined range. The high-sensitivity imaging components are protected by controlling impingement of light on the imagining components, selectively controlling emission of white and excitation light from the light source, and controlling the power source for the imaging components.

Fluorescent imaging device

A fluorescent imaging device to prevent the breakdown of a fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging apparatus has a light source for endoscope use which selectively switches between an excitation light and a white light. This introduces a light into a light guide of an endoscope and such light is emitted onto an object. A fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging device images the fluorescences obtained by excitation with the excitation light which is emitted onto the object. A white light imaging device images a white light image obtained from the white light which is emitted onto the object. A switch inputs a power source onto the fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging apparatus and there is a mechanism to prevent overprint on an image plane of the fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging apparatus which is in the imaging condition with the power source inputted. A fluorescent observation image generating device generates a fluorescent observation image signal for fluorescent observation use, and outputted from the fluorescent image high-sensitivity imaging measure of the imaging part is in electric signal from; which a white light observation image signal used for white light observation is derived.

Fluorescent diagnostic system and method providing color discrimination enhancement

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Machida, Japan

Sakae Takehana